Following the announcement at the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference that Brunswick/Mercury and Correct Craft were joint winners of the 2019 Most Innovative Marine Companies Awards, Soundings Trade Only today named the other companies in a Top 10 list.
- Brunswick/Mercury AND Correct Craft
- Volvo Penta
- Garmin
- Groupe Beneteau
- Malibu
- Scout Boats
- Adaptive Surface Technologies
- Sea-Fire
- Mastercraft
- MarineMax
Honorable mentions went to TACO Marine, Seattle Boat Co. and Taylor Made, a division of Lippert.
The awards honor forward-thinking companies that are changing the marine industry with new initiatives, processes, technologies, internal changes in culture and acquisitions. The list included large global companies and small startups.
“We launched these awards to expand the definition of innovation, so it isn’t just about new products,” said Michael Verdon, editor-in-chief of Soundings Trade Only, in a statement. “We see innovation in the ways these marine companies are reinventing themselves in a changing marketplace. We looked at factors like acquisitions, sustainability efforts, the creation of innovation centers, export programs and workforce initiatives to make the final list.”
Each application was evaluated by a judging team that included Verdon; Bill Sisson, vice president and editorial director of the Active Interest Media Marine Group, and editor-in-chief of Anglers Journal; Eric Colby, senior editor of Soundings Trade Only; Michele Goldsmith, publisher of Soundings Trade Only; Marcia Kull, former president of Torqeedo; and Tom Douglass, former vice president of sales and marketing for Dometic/SeaStar Solutions.
“This year’s applications were impressive, showing more depth and vision than our first year,” Verdon said. “We look forward to expanding the awards next year.”
Profiles of all award winners appear in the November issue of Soundings Trade Only and online (available Nov. 1) on TradeOnlyToday.com.
